Cyro 6.1.39

Specific Text Questions Cyropaedia
1

Hi everyone
Araspas, a loyal soldier of Cyrus, has disgraced himself and news of it is spreading around camp. Cyrus is wondering if he can use this an an opportunity to gain information on the enemy and has called him into a meeting (μόνος μόνῳ)

Cyrus speaking first:
εἰ τοίνυν, ἔφη, προσποιησάμενος ἐμὲ φεύγειν ἐθέλοις εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐλθεῖν, οἴομαι ἄν σε πιστευθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων.
ἔγωγε ναὶ μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Ἀράσπας, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων οἶδα ὅτι ὡς σὲ πεφευγὼς λόγον ἂν παρἔχοιμι.

I’m struggling slightly with Araspas’ reply. I‘m thinking there must be a causal clause somewhere after καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων….

ἔγωγε ναὶ μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Ἀράσπας, καὶ [sc. οἴομαι ἄν πιστευθῆναι] ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων | ὅτι (because) | οἶδα ὡς λόγον ἂν παρἔχοιμι | σὲ πεφευγὼς |

Is this correct? οἶδα falling within a ὅτι causal clause? But I’m wondering if this is the case why it was placed after οἶδα…

2

ὡς σὲ means to you here, I’d say.

Edit.

I changed my mind.

3

Here’s how I read it, though I haven’t seen any context, so could be wrong:

προσποιησάμενος ἐμὲ φεύγειν

“…pretending to be fleeing me…”

ἄν σε πιστευθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων

“…you may well be believed believed by the enemies…”

καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων

“and by our friends!”

Ending up with: οἶδα ὅτι ὡς σὲ πεφευγὼς λόγον ἂν παρἔχοιμι

“…I know that I might well provide [them with] a reason that I should be fleeing you.”

I feel like there isn’t really a second unstated finite verb (οἴομαι) here (which would draw in a γάρ after οἶδα?) as much as that καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων is just slightly unconnected.

4

Joel has got it, if I rightly understand him. οἶδα ὅτι is just “I know that λόγον ἂν παρἔχοιμι,” and ὡς σὲ πεφευγὼς is the tale to be proffered (ὡς with participle, dep. on λόγον ἂν παρἔχοιμι—note perfect pple not present).

και υπο των φιλων is sightly incoherent, echoing υπο των πολεμιων though the syntax shifts midstream. Araspas is falling over himself to be cooperative, and his eagerness has outrun his grammar.

5

Thanks all, yes that makes perfect sense. I’d read it like that myself first time but it was the slight grammatical disconnect between the καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων and οἶδα ὅτι that was throwing me off. So I ended up over-complicating and butchering it :laughing: